Conditions for the month of March 1996

On March 4, heavy rains caused flash flooding, flooded highways, and
hazardous conditions over much of the Hawaiian islands. Laupahoehoe,
Hawaii, received more than 6 inches of rain in only a few hours.

From March 6 to 8, heavy rainfall across the South caused widespread flash
flooding and minor river flooding. Rainfall totals ranged from 2
to between 4 and 5 inches. Particularly hard hit was the Atlanta area, which
received more than 3.5 inches of rain; the Peachtree Creek crested 2 to 3 feet
over flood stage. Talladega County, Alabama, received more than 5 inches of
rain, which flooded roads and pastureland and caused the Tombigbee River
to exceed flood stage. Flooding ranged from southern Illinois and
Kentucky to Mississippi and Louisiana, and to North Carolina, and South Carolina. The
Congeree River at Columbia, South Carolina, crested about 2.5 feet over
flood stage.

On March 11-12, many locations in east-central Florida received from 5 to 10
inches of rainfall. Low-lying areas, agricultural areas, and some roads
were affected by the resulting flash flooding.

Snowmelt and ice jams caused minor flooding across Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois from mid-March
to the end of the month. Flooding generally affected agricultural lands,
but some evacuations were required. Some of the rivers affected were the
Missouri in North Dakota, the Milk and the Yellowstone
in Montana, the James in South Dakota, and the Minnesota in
Minnesota.

On March 14, a partial dam failure in New Hampshire caused some brief
flooding on the Marymeeting River south of Lake Winnepesaukee. One person
was reported missing.

Drought conditions have persisted across the Southweste since the beginning
of the water year. These drought conditions stretch from southeastern
California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico,
Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, most of Texas, and parts of Nebraska, Iowa,
Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. A new minimum March monthly
mean flow was recorded at the index-gaging station on the Calcasieu River
near Oberlin, Louisiana. The March 1996 flow was only 194 cubic feet per second
(ft3/s) which is only 11 percent of the long-term (1961-90)--median
flow.

The combined flow for the three largest rivers in the lower 48 states--
the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, and the Columbia--decreased 11
percent from last month to 1,098,300 cubic feet per second (ft3/s). This flow is 84 percent of the
long-term median and in the normal range. The Mississippi River at
Vicksburg, Mississippi, was only 75 percent of median. Despite decreased flow the Columbia
River at The Dalles, Oregon, was 157 percent of median, 28 percent from last month.